SUMMER BREEZE

“Summer Breeze” is a song written and recorded by Seals and Crofts that has been covered by The Isley Brothers, Type O Negative, the Three Tenors, and many other artists. Seals and Crofts’ original version, released in 1972, reached No. 6 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the US. In 2013, it was ranked No. 13 in Rolling Stone′s “Best Summer Songs of All Time.

Original Seals and Crofts version

Released on their 1972 Summer Breeze album, Seals and Crofts’ original version reached No. 6 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the US that same year. Bruce Eder of Allmusic referred to it as “one of those relentlessly appealing 1970s harmony-rock anthems … appropriately ubiquitous on the radio and in the memory”.

Seals and Crofts performed the song live on the The Bobby Darin Amusement Company variety show in 1972.

Isley Brothers version

The song was covered in a harder rock-soulful style by The Isley Brothers as a single in 1974. Issued also on their 1973 album 3 + 3, it reached number sixty on the pop singles chart, number ten on the R&B singles chart, and number sixteen on the UK singles chart. The Isleys’ version is notable not only for the harmonies of the three vocal Isleys O’Kelly, Rudolph and lead singer Ronald but also for the guitar solo by younger brother Ernie.

The Isley Brothers performed it on a 1974 Soul Train show. It was also featured in a 2014 episode of Scandal and is sampled in the track “All In My Mind” released by MC Hammer along with his newly formed rap group called Oakland Fight Club featuring Mistah F.A.B. (2014).